Kingston upon Thames

Kingston upon Thames' population expanded in the 10 years leading up to 2011. At the same time there were changes in family life, religion and ethnicity.

The population passed 160,000

In the decade leading up to the most recent census, the population of Kingston upon Thames increased by 8.7%, from about 147,000 to 160,000.

The addition of just under 13,000 people means this area's population increased at a similar rate to the overall population of England (up 7.9% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, Kingston upon Thames was home to, on average, 31 people per football pitch-sized piece of land (about 7,140 square metres).

Population density was lower than the average across London

Population density (usual residents per 7,140 square metres) across London, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

Fewer homes without children

The percentage of households without children fell in Kingston upon Thames at a faster rate than in Reading, a statistically similar local authority area.

In Kingston upon Thames, the proportion of households without children decreased from 63% in 2001 to 60% in 2011. During the same period, the proportion in Reading decreased from 64% to 62%.

Across London, the share of households without children decreased from 62% to 60%.

The proportion of households with children in Kingston upon Thames increased from 28% to 31%, while the proportion of households with only adult children living with their parents increased from 8.1% to 9.2%.

The proportion of households without children was higher than across London

Percentage of households that without children across local authority areas in London and the average across England, March 2011

Religion in Kingston upon Thames

The number of people in Kingston upon Thames that described themselves as having no religion increased from about 27,000 in 2001 to just over 41,000 in 2011. This represents a change from 18% to 26% of the local population.

The percentage increased by more than the average across London (from 16% to 21%), but at a slower rate than the average across England (from 15% to 25%).

The number of people in Kingston upon Thames that described themselves as Christian decreased from about 95,000 in 2001 to just under 85,000 in 2011 (from 65% to 53%). The number of people who did not disclose their religious affiliation increased from about 11,000 to about 13,000 (from 7.4% to 7.9%).

Just under 9,500 people (3.9%) said they were Muslim, up from just under 5,800 in 2001 (5.9%).

There are many factors that can cause changes to the religious profile of an area, such as migration and varying fertility rates between religious groups. Changes may also be caused by differences in the way individuals choose to self-identify between censuses.

The population without a religion in Kingston upon Thames increased by 7.7 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, London and Kingston upon Thames by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

Ethnicity in Kingston upon Thames

The number of people in Kingston upon Thames from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups increased from about 13,000 in 2001 to just over 26,000 in 2011. This represents a change from 9.2% to 16% of the local population.

The percentage increased by more than the average across London (from 13% to 18%) and the average across England (from 5.2% to 8.0%).

The number of people in Kingston upon Thames from the White ethnic groups remained close to 120,000 between the last two censuses (from 84% to 74% of the population). The number of residents from Mixed/multiple ethnic groups (White and Asian, White and Black African, White and Black Caribbean or Other Mixed) increased from just under 3,400 to about 6,300 (from 2.3% to 3.9%).

Just under 4,400 people (2.5%) said they were from the Other ethnic groups (Arab or any other ethnic group), up from just over 3,700 in 2001 (2.8%).

There are many factors that can cause changes to the ethnic profile of an area, such as migration and varying fertility rates between ethnic groups. Changes may also be caused by differences in the way individuals choose to self-identify between censuses.

The population from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups in Kingston upon Thames increased by 7.2 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, London and Kingston upon Thames by ethnicity, March 2001 and March 2011

Fewer people living alone

The percentage of single-person households fell here at a faster rate than in nearby Epsom and Ewell.

In Kingston upon Thames, the proportion of single-person households decreased from 32% in 2001 to 29% in 2011. During the same period, the proportion in Epsom and Ewell decreased from 27% to 26%.

Across London, the share of single-person households decreased from 35% to 32%.

The percentage of households with a cohabiting couple in Kingston upon Thames increased from 9.0% to 9.5%, while the percentage of households with a married couple increased from 35% to 36%.

The percentage of households with only a single-person was lower than across London

Percentage of households that that comprised only a single person across local authority areas in London and the average across England, March 2011

Health improved

The percentage of Kingston upon Thames residents that described their health as bad or very bad decreased from 6.3% to 3.6% in the decade leading up to the most recent census.

Rates are standardised to account for variation in age, which can impact the local population's health.

In 2011, just under 9 in 10 (86%) said their health was good or very good, compared with 74% in 2001. The percentage of Kingston upon Thames residents that described their health as fair decreased from 20% to 10%.

The proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad fell at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of London (from 8.3% in 2001 to 5.0% in 2011). Across England, the proportion fell from 9.1% to 5.5%.

These data are people’s own opinions in describing their overall health. They may be inconsistent with other measures of health, such as NHS records.

The percentage of people in ’bad’ or ’very bad’ health in Kingston upon Thames decreased by 2.7 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in Kingston upon Thames, London and England said their health was bad or very bad, March 2001 and March 2011

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Area report data

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